Monday, September 12, 2011

Cacapon Mountain Hike

Sunday was a good day for hiking up Cacapon Mountain. So I did.

Scenery:






Critters: (The Tawny Emperor picture didn't come out sharp, but that's the only one I've ever gotten, so here it is. And theirs didn't come out so great, either.)





Toadstools:







(Cross-posted at Whiskey Fire. Mouse over pics for captions, and click them for larger versions.)
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19 comments:

Jennifer said...

Those are wonderful.

Awesome butterfly photo op score!

Old Mr. Toad brings back many memories of me "saving" them from window wells when I was a kid.

Vonnie said...

AAAANNNDDDD
now I'm going to have beetle and lizard nightmares.

Laura said...

Careful! Looks like you almost fell off the mountain in that one picture!
Remember~ Don't Drink & Hike. :)

Great pictures. Love those toadstools.

((Hugs))
Laura

Big Bad Bald Bastard said...

That lizard is giving you the eye- "Don't trespass on my territory, biped!"

Smut Clyde said...

Toadstool #5 could be Clitocybe gibba or Lepista flaccida. I shudder to think what BBBB will do with these names.

#6 looks like a Calvatia craniiformis puffball. NOM NOM NOM.

M. Bouffant said...

You couldn't get the toad to sit on a stool?

ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said...

Thought about that, M.B.

A little refrigerator time, and voila! Reptile or amphibian is ready for the close-up. (Not like fish, who goes in the freezer.)
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Smut Clyde said...

Toadstool #1 is a Boletus of some kind, maybe Suillus americanus (NOM NOM NOM), but it could also be B. acerbus or Chalciporus piperatus (VOM VOM VOM).

JohnR said...

I got to wondering after I commented over at Thers' place, so I went and looked it up - I'm pretty certain that that is a Passalid, not a Stag Beetle. The blocky thorax with a gap behind it, red-furred legs, relatively small mandibles, and (most important) the hook on the head are pretty distinctive.
http://bugguide.net/node/view/2864/bgimage
They're particularly cool beetles, very strong and are even louder 'talkers' than Milkweed Beetles. You can hear them squeaking quite clearly when you hold them up. We used to dig them out of rotting logs pretty often.
Those are nice shots, too - you had a real nice day for a hike, looks like.

ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said...

Good call, JohnR.

I didn't even notice the horn until you mentioned it. Correction will be made...
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Dr.KennethNoisewater said...

Dear Sir,

Your captions should be less informative and more funny.

Sincerely,
Anonymous Complainer

ms fahrenheit said...

I'm going to look at the beautiful scenery and avoid the animals and mushrooms.

Call me crazy.

zombie rotten mcdonald said...

thudner, have you heard that Knuckles the Dog was a very good dog?

Kathleen said...

great snaps. they made me smile.

Kathleen said...

Your captions should be less informative and more funny.

perhaps amusingly misspelled?

ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said...

LOLBeetles, coming soon!

Yes, I have heard that from a reliable source, zrm.
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ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said...

Stupid sting bugs.

They infested the house, and now the exterminator has to make regular visits, to poison me. Also, apples and pears, etc. will be scarcer and more expensive this year.
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Unknown said...

Thats why we need to send a shitload to The Big Dick Cheney.

fish said...

perhaps amusingly misspelled?

AS IF THE TOADSTOOLS WERE WRITING THEM THEMSELVES!